Roscoe Lee Browne

In Babe (1995), Roscoe Lee Browne tells the story in a baritone that gives the animals their due. His measured diction suits Chris Noonan’s film, which takes them seriously without expecting us to keep a straight face. We were moved by Babe, partly because Browne’s narration takes its animal characters so seriously. There is pleasure in hearing a family story told with this much care for the words. He gives it dignity without making it solemn.

That polished speech was already central to his supporting work in the 1970s, notably as the erudite cook Jebediah Nightlinger in The Cowboys (1972). Some critics questioned whether a man in that part would speak so well; we see little reason why a cook should be denied a good sentence. The title role in William Wyler’s The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970) and Congressman Lincoln in Sidney Poitier’s Uptown Saturday Night (1974) put his intelligent authority to work in drama and comedy. Later, narration and voice roles took up more of his screen career. The emphasis changed, but there was still room for that precise speech and dry humour.

Oliver & Company (1988), with Browne voicing Francis, is a more modest pleasure. George Scribner has a lively cast and some enjoyable supporting turns, but the passive hero leaves the film slight. Browne’s presence is a reason to listen, not a reason to pretend the story is stronger than it is. We would keep it for an undemanding family evening rather than use it as the introduction to his work. A distinctive voice cannot do much about a central character who needs to be more interesting.

In Babe, the film around that voice is good enough to deserve it. Noonan earns the sentiment, although Nigel Westlake’s music sometimes presses harder than it needs to. Browne’s narration is better judged: its calm authority helps us accept the animals’ feelings without insisting on how much we ought to feel ourselves. Start there, and listen to how little fuss he makes about being the adult telling the story.